


The Gift of Family

by A Magiluna Stormwriter (ariestess)



Series: Inspired by OQ 2020 [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anniversary, Established Relationship, F/M, Family Bonding, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Inspired by Outlaw Queen Week 2020 (Once Upon a Time), Magical Tattoos, Tattoos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27342568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariestess/pseuds/A%20Magiluna%20Stormwriter
Summary: I vowed to you that I would protect you and our family."  He takes her hand and settles it over the tattoo, covering hers with his until her hand is surrounded by his warmth and the steadythub-dubof his heartbeat under her palm.  "This is our family.  It has taken me this long to truly understand the vow I made to you one year ago today.  I've been working with a local artisan to get this made today.  It had to be inked today."
Relationships: "Hyde" Evil Queen/Wishverse Robin Hood
Series: Inspired by OQ 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1993003
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4
Collections: Inspired By Outlaw Queen





	The Gift of Family

**Author's Note:**

> Date Written: 1 November 2020  
> Word Count: 1993  
> Written for: Inspired by OQ 2020  
> Inspiration: This [manip](https://twitter.com/EQChemistry/status/1233043572972191745) by EQChemistry  
> Summary: "I vowed to you that I would protect you and our family." He takes her hand and settles it over the tattoo, covering hers with his until her hand is surrounded by his warmth and the steady _thub-dub_ of his heartbeat under her palm. "This is our family. It has taken me this long to truly understand the vow I made to you one year ago today. I've been working with a local artisan to get this made today. It had to be inked today."  
> Spoilers: Post-S6 canon divergent AU, so just consider everything we know about these characters up for grabs. This particular story takes place one year to the day after the events of the fic "The Adventure Continues."  
> Warnings: No standard warnings apply.  
> Website: ShatterStorm Productions – Doggie Duo  
> Link to: http://bdkk.shatterstorm.net/  
> Archive: ShatterStorm Productions & AO3 only…all others ask for permission & we'll see…  
> Feedback: Constructive criticism is always welcome.
> 
> Author’s Disclaimer: "Once Upon a Time," the characters, and situations depicted are the property of Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis, Kitsis/Horowitz, and ABC Studios. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes. Previously unrecognized characters and places, and this story, are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. This site is in no way affiliated with "Once Upon a Time," ABC, or any representatives of the actors.
> 
> Author’s Notes: Okay, so this was supposed to have smut involved, but Quinn and Rob decided to get all esoteric and emotional and deep and shit. LOLOL I can't even be surprised anymore, to be quite fckn honest. But it allowed me the opportunity to incorporate the tattoo into this verse and put validation to something else that' been kind of a headcanon that wasn't fleshed out before. It's still not fully fleshed out yet, but I'm sure that'll come with time.
> 
> Dedication: My muses, as usual…
> 
> Beta: Not yet, but if you see something I've missed, please feel free to let me know?

Quinn settles Heike in her crib with a gentle pat to her belly after tucking the blanket loosely around her little body. "Sleep now, my little princess," she coos. "Mama and Papa and Auntie Regina and both of your big brothers love you so very much."

The baby only sucks slowly on her pacifier, holding Quinn's attention. They've had her in their lives for just over fifteen months now. She's not even truly a baby anymore, but Quinn refuses to accept that her little princess is growing up any more than she'd been able to when Henry grew up on her and Regina all those years ago. The thought of seeing her older son again tomorrow when he and Regina keep their regular mirror-assisted visit eases some of the ache in her chest at being so far away from her not so little prince.

Satisfied Heike will stay asleep for the time being, Quinn turns to start preparing their quarters for when Rob returns from his travels among the local villages. He promised to be home in time for dinner and to say good night to Roland before the boy goes off for a night of Merry Men training in the woods along the eastern border of her lands. He loves his Merry Man training, even if it only means Little John and Will and Tuck stuff him full of sweets and tell him stories about his mother and father until he passes out in a sugar crash to sleep the rest of the night away. 

She'll miss him, just as she always does when he spends time with his uncles. But tonight is for her and her husband. They've an anniversary to celebrate, a promised vow to renew, and she can't seem to stay still or focused on anything except the need to see Rob again and feel him in her arms. She always thought Regina was the more romantic of the two of them, that she was meant to be the strong one to keep Regina safe and insulated from the worst of the damage in the world. Henry changed that for her, bringing out the unconditional love of motherhood, especially when her curse wasn't in jeopardy. 

Truth be told, so did Maleficent in her own way, coaxing the spluttering flames of love in her and Regina's heart into a lovely blaze. For a time, at least. Vengeance can overwhelm anyone and anything, no matter how strongly one feels it, paralyzing the softer emotions until they're no longer accessible. She loves Rob with everything in her, but she will go to her grave regretting what she did to Maleficent, what she forced Regina to do to their Dragon lover.

Before she can work herself up into a proper fit of despondent, impotent rage over a past she cannot change, the door to their quarters opens to reveal her husband of exactly one year today stepping into the room. There's a pinched look to his face that raises the hairs on the back of her neck and she quickly raises the silencing bubble around Heike's crib, not wanting to wake their daughter if things get heated, either for good or for bad. She loses sight of his face when he turns to close the door, but the grimace is clear when he faces her again.

"Rob? What's wrong? Who hurt you?" Her vision goes red with rage, body vibrating with the need to exact her revenge. Her nostrils flare with each new inhale, and she needs someone to make an example of. "They'll regret the day they were born for so much as touching a hair on your head--"

"Quinn, love, stop," Rob says, suddenly in front of her, a hand on her cheek. The contact is enough to pull her from her dark thoughts and focus on his face. "There's my beautiful bride."

"But--"

"Please put that out first, yeah?" He glances down at her right hand, her gaze following to see the large fireball blazing hot in her palm, then she notices her gown has changed into one of her favorite outfits from when she and Regina shared a body. When she extinguishes the fireball without a second thought, she feels his thumb caress her bottom lip, but doesn't change her outfit just yet. "That's my girl. There is no one to punish, Quinn, I swear it to you."

Her brows furrow in confusion, even as she leans into his touch. "I don't understand. You're in pain. Someone _must_ have hurt you. They should be punished."

Leaning in to replace his thumb with his lips for a gently lingering kiss, Rob pulls her closer with his free hand on her hip. "No one hurt me, love. Well, not with any malicious intent anyway. I _asked_ for this."

"Rob, I don't understand what you're saying." She pulls back to start pacing, completely caught off-guard by his words.

"Quinn, do you remember the vows we took one year ago today when we got married?" He smiles when she stops pacing to nod at him, nodding back at her. "And you remember how I vowed to always keep you and our children close to my heart, no matter what?"

"Yes, but what does that have to do with you being hurt, Rob?"

"Undress me."

Now she frowns at him, eyes darting toward the door. "Rob, Roland will be here soon to say good night to you before he heads off with his uncles for the night. We don't have time for this right now."

Rob just chuckles and steps closer to her, cupping her cheek again. "We have time for this, milady. Just please undress me? I swear on my life that this will be worth your while."

She wants to refuse, wants to force him to tell her what's going on, but there's a look in his eyes that she can't deny. "If you're lying to me…" she grumbles as she reaches up to push down his vest before undoing the laces of his tunic. As she finishes unlacing them, Rob reaches down for the hem to tug the pale cream shirt up and over his head. It takes a few seconds before she registers it. "Rob?"

"Touch it if you wish, but be gentle, yeah? It's still quite tender and needs time to heal."

She ghosts a finger over the design. A stylized tree filled with apples and sporting a very healthy root system below in a circle formation over his heart. The tree looks familiar, similar to the crest she and Regina used once Leopold had died and she could be Queen in deed, as well as in name. The apples are almost heart-shaped and have a slightly blackened tinge to them. There is writing of some sort on the apples, but she can't quite read it. The whole of it looks a bit swollen and reddened, and she understands his discomfort more now, but this feels powerful, sacred somehow.

"Will you let me heal it?" she asks, the words barely more than the air on which they're expelled. She glances up to meet his gaze shyly, caught in the myriad emotions in his darkened eyes. "Unless that is part of some ritual that needs to be fulfilled?" The second the words are out of her mouth, she begins to realize what he may have done.

"No, love," he replies with a soft smile, looking every bit the regal Prince Consort he became upon marrying her one year ago today. "The healing and pain are not part of the ritual per se. You may heal the worst of it, but not all of it? I'd like to have some of that process of a healing tattoo still. When you're finished, I'll explain what it means. Unless you've already sussed that out, of course."

Smiling, Quinn shakes her head and passes her hand over the whole tattoo before breathing out healing magic and passing her hand over it again. She watches as the redness and swelling fade away. The design will still go through the scab and peel process, but without the pain and itching often associated. The ability to take that away is in her power, and so she'll offer that boon to her husband. This time, she traces the design with her fingertip. "What does it mean?"

Rob guides her to their bed, pausing briefly to check on Heike and stroke her cheek, before they settle on the bed side by side. "The tree is a stylized version of your standard, combined with a tree of my youth. The apples are there for obvious reasons, of course, but some bear the names of those I hold most dear. If you look closely enough, you'll find five apples currently bear names."

Quinn quirks a brow at him, but leans in closer, conjuring a fireball to hover between them for better illumination. She traces each apple that indeed bears a name: hers, Heike's, Roland's, Henry's, and Regina's. Tears fill her eyes at the significance of those names, but before she can say anything about it, she sees similar lettering down in the elaborately tangled root system. There are more names here: his parents, Regina's parents, Daniel, Marian, Heike's mother, and four names that suck the breath from her lungs.

"R-Rob?"

"You don't mind, do you?" he asks softly. "I wanted to pay homage to those who have mattered to our family."

"Y-You consider them…" She can't even finish the question, too overcome with emotion.

"Of course, I do. They are Heike's older siblings every bit as much as Henry and Roland." He clears his throat roughly. "You don't think Regina will mind, do you? I can figure out a way to have them removed if it's too much for either of you to have them listed."

" _NO!_ " she says sharply, suddenly grateful that she erected the silencing bubble around Heike's crib. "Don't remove them." She coughs and wipes at the tears slipping down her cheeks suddenly. "Regina knows that I told you about them, about the names we gave each of them. Given what this tattoo is meant to symbolize, I think she would be honored that you chose to include them." Her eyes return to the design again. "But I don't see--"

"Look in the trunk itself, love. I couldn't very well leave him out of this. He's the one that ties us all together, after all."

She searches the trunk's design, then sees those five letters skillfully hidden among the markings of the bark. "This is… Rob, this is the most incredible gesture of love magic I've ever seen."

"I vowed to you that I would protect you and our family." He takes her hand and settles it over the tattoo, covering hers with his until her hand is surrounded by his warmth and the steady _thub-dub_ of his heartbeat under her palm. "This is our family. It has taken me this long to truly understand the vow I made to you one year ago today. I've been working with a local artisan to get this made today. It had to be inked today. Should we have more children, they will be added. Should our children give us grandchildren, they will be added. This is my living testament to what is right and true and important. I won't let vengeance or greed or anything else take precedence, not when I can see and feel this on my body. I love you, Quinn, and I love our family. When Regina brought me back to Storybrooke, she helped me find my destiny by putting me in your path. I am forever in her debt."

"Just as I am for her choosing love over hate to give me a second chance." Quinn leans in to press a kiss to each name on the tattoo before shifting up to kiss her husband. "I love you, Rob."

"And I you, Quinn. Happy anniversary, love."


End file.
